[8][9][10] Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the automobile industry saw little progress in electric car development; over 80 percent of vehicles produced in the United States featured V8 engines.

[7] In January 1990 GM chairman Roger Smith demonstrated the Impact, a battery electric concept car, at the 1990 Los Angeles Auto Show.

[12] Developed by the electric vehicle company AeroVironment, the Impact drew upon design insights acquired from GM's participation in the 1987 World Solar Challenge.

[22] Impressed by the feasibility of the Impact and spurred by GM's commitment to produce a minimum of 5,000 units, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) initiated a significant environmental effort in 1990.

[25] Other participants of the former American Automobile Manufacturers Association, including Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, also individually developed prototype zero-emissions vehicles in response to the new mandate.

[26][27] In 1994, GM initiated "PrEView", a program in which fifty handcrafted Impact electric cars would be loaned to drivers for durations of one to two weeks, with the stipulation that their feedback and experiences would be documented.

[30]According to the report, GM viewed the PrEView program as a failure, leading them to believe that the electric car was not yet viable, and that the CARB regulations should be removed.

These automakers' skepticism was criticized by Thomas C. Jorling, the Commissioner of Environmental Conservation for New York State, which had adopted the California emission program.

[36] The vehicles were offered through a leasing arrangement, explicitly prohibiting the option to buy under a contractual provision (with a suggested retail price listed at $34,000).

[6] Similar to the PrEView program, lessees were pre-screened by GM, with only residents of Southern California and Arizona initially eligible for participation.

[41] The car's debut was marked by a significant media event, featuring a US$8 million promotional campaign incorporating prime-time TV commercials, billboards, a dedicated website, and an appearance at the premiere of the Sylvester Stallone film Daylight.

[37] Some groups opposing taxation expressed disapproval of the exemptions and tax credits given to EV1 lessees, arguing it amounted to government-subsidized driving for affluent individuals.

Noteworthy improvements included lower production costs, quieter operation, extensive weight reduction, and the advent of a nickel–metal hydride battery (NiMH).

[61][62] To enhance its efficiency, extensive wind-tunnel testing was conducted on the EV1, and GM additionally implemented partial fender skirts on the rear wheelhouses.

[63][64][65][66] Its design incorporated super-light magnesium alloy wheels and self-sealing, low-rolling resistance tires developed by Michelin rounded out the EV1's good efficiency characteristics.

The rear drums represent an industry first, being fully electric, which eliminates the requirement for hydraulic lines or parking brake cables.

To address colder climates, upcoming electric vehicles were anticipated to incorporate heat pumps alongside compact fuel-fired heaters.

[63] The electric motor in the EV1 operated on a 3-phase AC induction system, generating 137 brake horsepower (102 kW) at 7,000 revolutions per minute (RPMs).

[85] Shortly after the introduction of the second generation cars, the planned nickel–metal hydride (NiMH) "Ovonics" battery pack, developed under the Delco Remy organization, commenced production.

[99] The series hybrid prototype featured a auxiliary power unit (APU) housing a gas turbine engine situated in the trunk.

[103] The parallel hybrid variant featured a 1.3-liter Isuzu turbocharged, direct injection diesel engine, delivering 75 hp (56 kW).

[110][114] In November 2003 GM initiated the retrieval of the vehicles;[115] approximately forty units were donated to museums and educational establishments, albeit with deactivated power systems intended to prevent future operation.

However, one EV1 was showcased at the Main Street in Motion exhibit at Epcot in Walt Disney World, located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

[118] Five EV1s were reported to be donated to China in 1998, specifically to the National Electric Vehicle Experimental & Demonstration Area (NEVEDA), a government research institute in Shantou.

[122][123] The American Smithsonian Magazine described the EV1 as "not technically a failure",[124] whereas the Australian Financial Review newspaper contended that while "successful, [the EV1] was doomed to fail".

[128][129] As car sales declined later in the decade amid the onset of global oil and financial crises, perspectives on the EV1 program underwent a shift.

In 2006 Wagoner admitted that his decision to discontinue the EV1 electric-car program and neglect hybrid development was his biggest regret during his tenure at GM.

[130] Wagoner reiterated this sentiment in a National Public Radio (NPR) interview following the December 2008 Senate hearings on the U.S. auto industry bailout request.

[131] In the March 13, 2007 issue of Newsweek, "GM R&D chief Larry Burns ... now wishes GM hadn't killed the plug-in hybrid EV1 prototype his engineers had on the road a decade ago: 'If we could turn back the hands of time,' says Burns, 'we could have had the [Chevrolet] Volt ten years earlier'",[132] alluding to the Volt considered as the indirect successor to the EV1.

The documentary explores various factors contributing to the EV1's cancellation, including the CARB's decision to reverse the mandate after pressure and lawsuits from automobile manufacturers, influence from the oil industry, anticipation surrounding a future hydrogen car, and the perfidy of the George W. Bush administration.